Justin Porter

So, let us break down a few things that you need to not ignore. 1 - Revell is an international company. Not commanding the USA because Round 2 is pumping out reissues isn't as big a loss to them because they're much bigger in the bigger modeling markets of Europe, South America, and the Far East. 2 - The Bond License. It doesn't matter if Revell USA has tepid sales of the Boss 351 (which it hasn't. They're flying off my shelves) because Revell is going to sell a bunch of "Diamonds Are Forever" Mustangs in the UK. The international Bond license is so valuable to Revell that they have tooled a 100% new Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5. 3 - The Revell of NOW isn't the Revell of ten years ago. Revell under Quantum is a different company from Revell under Hobbico. It has different priorities - such as re-energizing its stagnant 1/48th and 1/32nd scale aircraft ranges, becoming less reliant on reboxed ICM tooling, and making its line of paints and glues more of a global household name instead of merely a European one - and different processes from Revell under Hobbico. Why would it WANT to divert funding from new projects that suit its current business model to address issues with products that are already selling well in secondary markets? 4 - Market Share. As a business, Revell does understand that every dollar that buys a competitors product is one they didn't get. 100% of the '71 through '73 Mustang kit sales belonged to Round 2. Now they belong to Revell because no one is walking into my shop asking for the AMT or MPC kits. Revell has taken that piece of the market, and if Round 2 wants it back they need to come up with a better and/or cheaper product than Revell did. We as builders ultimately win when companies compete for market share because they push each other to do better.

The majority of the Revell notchbacks that I've sold have been specifically the drag version - the stock/pursuit version of the kit was a shelf queen - and have by and large gone either to casual builders who just want to build a drag racing Mustang like they see week in, week out at local tracks like Norwalk and Dragway 42 OR they've gone to slot car drag racers who churn out builds of the kit by the dozens because it's both a style drag racers like and it's a relatively light body which is good for racing. It's a top ten seller in my shop, and I genuinely cannot state that in all the years I've carried the kit I've ever sold one to someone I've known as a serious replica stock builder.

Between the color and the detail I think this will be a really standout build.

A quick check of a PDF of the most recent reissue of the AMT/MPC '71 Mustang shows that they didn't even bother with representing the turn signal stalk in the kit. So there's your choice. Slightly thick or completely absent.

Secret agenda? Worried readily available reissues would cause Johan kit collections to depreciate? My guy, Occam's Razor. If Moebius fulfilled my wish and kitted a run of AMX's with interiors, grilles, and graphic treatments for '68 through '70 plus a Super Stock release then any of the godawful Johan kits would be rendered nearly 100% worthless. The reason I don't want Johan kits cloned is the same reason I don't want AMT kits or MPC kits cloned. It's the same reason I'm glad Aoshima kitted their AE86 Trueno and Hasegawa kitted their AW11 Toyota MR2. The old kits were AWFUL and need replaced by MODERN kits. No one with the Eduard 1/72nd scale Fw190 in their hand finds themselves pining for Frog or Matchbox. The same SHOULD hold true for car modeling. That said, I do fully understand Steve G's position. He has a fixed budget and a need to get product out the door. I'm not personally a fan of the shortcut Round 2 is opting for, but it's being done with transparency and with a specific audience in mind that I acknowledge I personally am not a part of.

Keeping up the progress with the '65 Impala. I finished wet sanding and polishing the body. You know the paint is right when you can read the paint IN the paint. I also wrapped up the chassis and was able to mock up the ride height. The wheels are being taken from the Goodguys release of the Revell '37 Ford Coupe and I think they really suit the style I'm going for.

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. As Rex explains in his post, the BULK of AMT/MPC kits are just flat obsolete. Without significant work, they simply don't build into convincing, accurate, realistic miniatures of 1/1 scale cars. Are you really willing to sit there and say that the MPC '69 Camaro is a good reason to not have the Revell? To say that the AMT '64 Impala is somehow better than Revell's? That we should all be stuck with the horror show of the "Old Pro" until the end of time instead of Revell's lovely Nova? In the military kit world, kits get superseded all the time. Kit technology and design improves and popular subjects get the "latest and greatest" treatment first in order to actually recoup the investment in new tech and processes. That's how it's SUPPOSED to be. Only in automotive modeling - and most specifically only in American domestic classic automotive modeling - do you have kit companies clinging desperately to sixty year old tooling and builders willing to stump up and say "It's absolutely good enough."

Really, this is such a classy and complete build. It was really enlightening to follow along and eye-opening to the possibilities within the scale for detailing.

Very exciting to see the Heller Delahaye not only finished but also detailed out like this!

A much more significantly substantial update on the progress of the '65 Impala! A massive thanks to a care package from EA0863 on the forum whom had the stock seats and upper trailing arms in his own parts bin. Accordingly, this means that the interior is now fully wrapped up. I will say this about the Revell kit. The aluminum panel on the lower portion of the dash was in nearly all of my SS396 Impala reference pictures, but the Revell dash had no engraving to indicate its presence. As such, I free painted it with some Tamiya XF16 Flat Aluminum so that it was definitely there. Also in a big step, the Mr Color C47 Clear Red went down over the C10 Copper and I am positively in love with the results. After a few days to cure, I am seriously looking forward to polishing this out to a nice consistent shine.

Looks truly fantastic so far. Just the right level of shine.

Small but important update. Color has started going down on the Impala and I'm happy to say I'm getting just about EXACTLY the color that I wanted. There's still some color sanding to do on the Mr Color C10 Copper base coat on the body and hood, but the chassis plate has already received its coat of Mr Color C47 Clear Red over the Copper and I am very pleased with how it's looking. I can't wait to see how it looks on the more fully finished body especially under a coat or two of clear.

Those really are fantastic. I'll have to get a set for my Dad since he's got the NART Spyder in his kit stash.

Okay. Let's break down your argument thusly. 1: Subject Matter Repetition - In military modeling, more obscure subject matter equates to lower production numbers and higher pricetags for equivalent detail in a plastic kit. Currently, there are a handful of model car companies that have this business model. Ebbro for vintage F1 cars. NuNu for modern and vintage touring cars and rally cars. Belkits and DModel for rally cars. Salvinos JR for American circle track subjects Moebius for classic American cars It's quite all right to prefer less common subject matter, but the understanding has to be that the burden of the lower sales numbers gets placed on the consumer. 2: Scanning Older Kits - If it was as simple as plunking an unbuilt original down underneath a LIDAR scanner and pressing "print" then Round 2 wouldn't take as long as they do on the Craftsman kits. Even a straight copy requires post-scanning 3D modelling work to clean up the scan, re-engineering of injection points and ejector posts to match the function of modern molding equipment, and that's setting aside the murky waters of who actually owns the Intellectual Property that IS the design of the Johan kits. Is it worth it to an existing company to pay for the rights to recreate tooling that no longer exists? Likely not, particularly to the two companies whose livelihoods are retro reissues - those being Atlantis and Round 2. 3: Johan Models Could Compete With Modern Kits - This is a laughable statement, bordering on insulting. Look in the box of Tamiya's McLaren Senna. Look in the box of Ebbro's Brabham BT-18. Look in the box of ICM's Benz Patent Motorwagen. Look in the box of Moebius's AFX Chryslers. Look in the box of Hasegawa's Lancia O37. There is NOTHING that Johan has ever produced that holds up to the modern standards of the 21st century. And yes, that includes the much vaunted Chrysler Turbine car with its awful out of scale hinges, horrid panel gaps, and compromised front suspension detail for the sake of the "steering" function. And that's the BEST that Johan ever had to offer. The bulk of their kits are saggy, muddy, hole in the block, chrome headlight, seats molded to the floor of the interior tub JOKES like their '68 AMX. We don't need the old Johan kits back. We don't need JOHAN back. We need modern kits of Johan's subject matter and builders who are as willing to pay ACTUAL prices for those kits the way that rally builders eagerly plunked down their $60 when DModel announced a Ford Sierra.

Track down either of these releases of the Revell '32 Ford Highboy. They share their tooling with the other modern Revell '32 Fords with an excellent chassis, Ford 302 engine, and very neatly proportioned body. The current '32 Roadster kit with the Duvall windshield has its origins in this tooling, but there were some alterations done so that it's not exactly the same tooling.

Incompetency is not an outside force. His inability to even get a reasonably details 3D printed resin kit out the door proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Compare the absolute farce of attempting to promote and distribute the Powell to USCP's Citroen SM, or the resin powerhouse that is Alpha Model, or other similar one man bands like Iceman Collections and their Lamborghini Urus and upcoming Vector W8. And this is from a man with - supposedly - decades of experience producing scale models whom has the added luxury of representing a classic prestige brand in Johan. People, like myself, who say let Johan die aren't opposed to the subject matter that Johan has kitted in the past. I would be over the moon if Moebius or Hasegawa or Revell or Iceman or anyone else (maybe excluding Round 2 unless they offered assurances it wouldn't be a "Craftsman Plus" style antique) announced an SC/Rambler or a '66 Toronado. Speaking specifically for myself, I want the hobby to move on from Johan. They had their time, it was in the 20th century. We're now nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century and it ought to be clear that Johan isn't joining us in it.

This was so much fun to see coming together and the results really are something unique. It's really a model you should be proud of, using the cutting edge of techniques to represent the very beginnings of the motorcar.

Completing any of the Enthusiast series kits is a Badge of Courage. Your 356 coupe really is a great stand out build.

The AK Filler Primers are an enamel primer that they developed for their Xtreme Metal range of enamel metalizers, but it's an excellent companion to Mr Surfacer so I tend to use it as often as Mr Surfacer. So far, I've had no problem with Gunze Mr Color lacquer or MCW lacquer over it, but I haven't tried it as the base with anything hotter than those.

A very tidy build of an intensely pretty car.

I do really like seeing you continuing this Boxer fleet. I'm going to be particularly following along to see how you tackle the interiors in order to liberally swipe ideas.

The work continues. I decided to tackle a bit of the interior given the high quality of the Revell tooling. First went down a bit of Mr Surfacer 1500 Black followed by some Mr Color C68 Red Madder. A little bit of Bare Metal Foil and a few licks of C8 Silver plus some Red Ken's Fuzzy Fur and it's well on its way.

The kit engine for the coupe was a very nicely done 396ci big block while the convertible kit actually - and accurately - had the last SS Impala 409. Both engines were really well detailed and I wouldn't have seen a need to swap the kit 396 if it hadn't been lost to the ages.

Wanting a "healthy cruiser" for the theme of this build after having gone over the various parts and rifled through my spares, I set about building the engine. I dug up a spare 427 and four speed from a Revell '67 Corvette roadster kit and proceeded to hang the Impala's accessories on it, wanting to preserve such amenities as A/C and power steering. I found the P/E pulley faces and a Model Car Garage resin and P/E Edelbrock air cleaner in my detail bin and decided those would be appropriate dress up parts for this build. Naturally this means I will be tracking down an electric fan to go onto the radiator in place of the stock fan. I will still add ignition wires to go with the fuel line as well as track down a fuel pump to which I can route the other end of the carb feed line.

That really is a lovely build of one of Hasegawa's classic kits. It's absolutely the picture of what you imagine a Stratos to be.